As You See It: Nov. 29, 2012: Ban animal testing

I am a high school student who recently had an epiphany. I just got a puppy. And this guy is cute. So cute. But that's not all. He is smart. And he feels in at least as much subtle nuance as I do. This new part of my life is important and I want to protect him. So when I saw the fine print on my shampoo bottle last week "this product is tested on animals," I was appalled. I want this to stop. I've done some research, and the pictures and descriptions of what is done to these innocent creatures is horrifying. I can't believe that we can call ourselves civilized while we inflict needless pain on puppies. I don't need an innocent animal to suffer so that I may know whether the shampoo I use might sting my eyes. I want to urge every feeling being in my town to write your local congressman to ban testing of products on animals.

Brandyn Kringen, Aptos

Rail trail a big fail

Why don't we just admit that the rail trail advocates just want a walking/biking path to run from Davenport to Watsonville? Having a train really has little to do with anything. Heck, Amtrak struggles to survive even on the East Coast where there are actual commuters. A viable train business in Santa Cruz County is nonsense. You want to get people from here to there and have them be more carbon-responsible? Widen Highway 1 and be done with it. All we want is for traffic to move efficiently north and south. Very simple -- less pollution, less time wasted. I spot at least 10 major potholes on my road from my home in Soquel to Highway 1. Why do I have to navigate those while our money is being siphoned off to these ridiculous feel-good projects? Enough already. The opportunity cost spent at endless community meetings far outweighs any perceived benefit. Why the microscopic minority continues to rule this county remains a vast mystery to me.

Kevin Allen, Soquel

Wasteful desal spending

This year our esteemed state senators held hearings on the value of tertiary water treatment. It can be viewed for free in the legislative library. In the same time we have studied desal, four other larger districts have fully implemented the tertiary solution. They are restoring their rivers and recharging their aquifers. The Santa Cruz water board has spent millions to educate the people of Santa Cruz on the need for a desal. We voted for the right to decide on desal. Our council decided to spend $392,000 more to re-educate us? The 72 percent of voters who voted yes on Measure P are not going to vote yes for desal. This is wasteful spending. Why are we paying more for our water while using 30 percent less? Why didn't we run out of water back when we were using 30 percent more?